National League

Colorado setup man LaTroy Hawkins will have to come up big if the Rockies are to make their first postseason since 1995. AP

Mets -- Before the season the big concern about the Mets was their starting pitching. Outside of the Padres, though, and maybe the Cubs, the Mets' rotation is as good as anyone's in the league. The bullpen might need some help, especially if Billy Wagner's arm is truly dead. But the real problem is a spotty lineup, and the big need there is to get Carlos Delgado untracked. The first baseman is hitting just .247 this season, with a lousy .751 OPS, and August has been even worse. Career-wise, though, September has been a good month for him (.937 OPS).

Cubs -- That starting pitching, despite the egg that Carlos Zambrano laid on Wednesday against the Brewers, is good enough to win the NL Central, as is the much-ripped bullpen. But the Cubs have to get more from some of their hitters. No one can expect Jacque Jones to keep up his recent tear (.357, .944 OPS in August). What Cubs' fans can hope for, though, is a little more power from Aramis Ramirez, who has only 18 homers this season. Ramirez, who is fighting a sore wrist, has only three longballs since the break. Getting the cleanup hitter healthy and going long would be a big boost.

Diamondbacks -- If Seattle is the surprise team of the season, the D'backs are the strangest. They sit atop the NL West despite a lineup that produces a mere 4.2 runs a game, better only than the Nationals. They can win with that -- they have so far, anyway -- but it sure would help if, say, shortstop Stephen Drew, J.D.'s younger brother, caught fire. Or at least played better than he has this month (.187, .323 on-base, one home run).

Padres -- This team is about pitching, first and always, and if the staff has made it this far, you have to figure it'll be fine in September. The hitting ... well, it's not as bad as you might expect. Sure, it's hard to score at Petco Park. But, on the road, the Padres are actually better than most. This month, overall, the Padres have cranked 37 homers in 26 games. You know what these guys need? They need first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who has had a wonderful August (.320, seven homers, .989 OPS), to carry his hot hand all the way through the end of the season.

Phillies -- First off, Cole Hamels has to get back and stay healthy if the scrappy Phils are going to make good on Jimmy Rollins' preseason boast, and Hamels needs help in the rotation. Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Pat Burrell -- yes, even Pat the Bat -- can take care of scoring runs. But Hamels has to be solid, and he needs a partner. More than that, though, Brett Myers has to be better as this team's closer to solidify a bullpen that has a 4.58 ERA. (Only the Reds are worse in the NL.) Myers' 4.80 ERA simply isn't the kind of number that engenders confidence from manager Charlie Manuel. Or Philly fans, for that matter.

Dodgers -- General manager Ned Colletti is doing what he can to prop up his team's decimated rotation, recently signing castoffs David Wells and Esteban Loaiza. Those two veterans can help ... if they don't break down first. The problem with the Dodgers, as it has been all season, is scoring runs. Only the Nationals have fewer homers. And don't blame it on Dodger Stadium. Even when the Dodgers are away from their roomy home field, they struggle. They have the fewest road homers in the league, and they rank 14th in extra-base hits away from L.A. Where the offense will come from, at this point, is a mystery. Nomar Garciaparra, who has a .518 slugging percentage in his career after Sept. 1 and who cranked six homers last September, is out for another couple of weeks. Is Russell Martin ready to take this team on his shoulders?

Braves -- The Braves' fate lies, as everyone who has seen this team realizes with painful certainty, with the rotation beyond John Smoltz and Tim Hudson. Another reliable starter would be more than nice. It's necessary. The one that folks in Atlanta are holding their breath on: lefty Chuck James, who should come off the disabled list at the beginning of the month. Last September, James went 4-1 in six starts with a 3.29 ERA, allowing 28 hits in 38 1/3 innings. If the Braves can get that out of him this September, and Smoltz and Hudson keep it up, this team has a chance.

Cardinals -- A nice three-week surge (14-7) has brought the Cards back to .500 (though they dropped a game under with a loss on Wednesday). The Cardinals are hitting OK -- not great, but OK for the NL Central -- so what they need, more than anything, is another reliable starter. They've made it this far with a couple of converted relievers (Braden Looper, Adam Wainwright) and a few prayers. Now, it's time for Anthony Reyes (2-13, 5.33 ERA) to rekindle his postseason magic from '06, when he went 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA in two starts, including an eight-inning gem in Game 1 of the World Series.

Brewers -- Ben Sheets pitched beautifully in his return from the disabled list on Wednesday, beating the Cubs and, at least temporarily, stopping his team's free-fall into oblivion. Five of those kind of starts in September would help tremendously. He needs a sidekick or two, though, and no one fits that role better than Jeff Suppan, 0-4 in his last 12 starts with a 4.61 ERA. Last year Suppan spun a 2.15 ERA in six September starts, and in '05 he had a 1.93 ERA in five starts, helping the Cardinals into the postseason both years.

Rockies -- The Rocks can swing with just about anyone. And the rotation, considering all those injuries, is better than most anyone could have thought. Opening Day starter Aaron Cook is making his way back from an oblique strain, and that'll help. Jeff Francis is throwing well. Ubaldo Jimenez has been a find. That puts the onus on the bullpen, where the Rocks are a little iffy in front of Brian Fuentes and Manny Corpas. The responsibility there falls to LaTroy Hawkins, who has had light-out Septembers before. In '03, he appeared in 12 games and had an 0.71 ERA for the AL Central champion Twins.